Why Your Couch Is the Best Seat at the Super Bowl This Year

Unless you're prepared to shell out thousands of dollars, sit in hours of traffic and shiver your way through Super Bowl XLVIII, the best seat for this year's game may just be on your couch. And here's why:

1. Hand Warmers are Part of the Ticket-Holder Package. But What About Body Warmers?

Brrrr. It's going to be cold at this year's Super Bowl in northern New Jersey. Today's forecast puts the high at 36 degrees for Super Bowl Sunday, but by the time the sun sets for the game's 6:30 p.m. kickoff, it could feel quite a bit colder for fans at MetLife Stadium. Up in the nosebleed seats, fans will need coats, hats, scarves and blankets to root for the Denver Broncos or Seattle Seahawks. But fans at home? They'll have complete control over their climate. You could be having a tropical-themed Super Bowl party instead.

2. It could cost you $10K to see the Super Bowl at the stadium, but only a few bucks to see it from your sofa.

Super Bowl tickets are going for thousands of dollars on the NFL Ticket Exchange. According to ESPN, the average ticket price a week before the game is $2,700, while some seats are fetching more than $10,000. For fans flying across the country and paying for premium hotels in New York or New Jersey, the cost of attending Super Bowl weekend could easily add up to thousands of dollars.

Meanwhile, if you've already got a TV with basic channels and a place to sit, watching the Super Bowl at home could cost you, well, nothing.

3. Traffic in New Jersey versus traffic from your living room to your kitchen.

As Chris Christie's Bridgegate scandal has driven home over the past few weeks, traffic in New Jersey is serious business. For fans staying in New York City and traveling to the game by car, the path to the Super Bowl will be a congested one, with treks through the Lincoln or Holland Tunnels or over the now-infamous George Washington Bridge.

If the traffic weren't bad enough, event organizers won't allow fans to take limos or buses to the stadium and drop them off. Parking passes will go for $150, and those who drive will not be able to tailgate. Fans are encouraged to use mass transit to get to the stadium, which will mean taking two trains from New York City, or hopping on a "Fan Express" coach bus from nine pickup locations.

Conversely, traffic from your living room to your kitchen and bathroom is probably going to be much easier to navigate.

4. Pajamas. Enough said.

Even if the temperatures stay in the upper 30s for Super Bowl XLVIII, it's going to be a cold night that demands layering clothes, coats, hats, gloves and blankets to keep warm. Before and after the game, New York City parties will require fans to be dressed stylishly, and teetering on stilettos in freezing temperatures could become downright dangerous.

At home? Fans can sit in their pajamas, game day jerseys, sweatpants and sweatshirts all day long. Sounds like a win.

5. Cost of nachos at the Super Bowl versus cost of nachos at home.

At Super Bowl XLVII, in 2013, nachos went for $14 at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Premium beers went for $15 a pint. And those were Louisiana prices. The New York area is already known for its outrageous cost of living, so the prices at MetLife Stadium could be even higher.

By comparison, a bag of Tostitos tortilla chips will run you $3 to $4, a bag of shredded cheddar cheese $2 to $3 and sour cream, $2 to $3. Share nachos with friends and the cost is merely a buck or two per person. Thirsty? In many places you can get 30 cans of Bud Light for less than$15, or 50 cents a pop.